Temporal Lipofilling: Restore Temporal Volume: Complete Guide

Temple Lipofilling: in consultation, I regularly meet patients who describe their appearance in these terms: “My temples have hollowed. I look more tired,” or “My face looks older than my age.”

This volume loss in the temples is one of the first signs of facial ageing.

And many patients notice this before the wrinkles around the eyes or the jowls. Temple lipofilling restores this volume naturally, using your own fat, which avoids any foreign body and gives lasting results.

Article written under the supervision of Dr Bernard Hayot, ophthalmologist specialising in oculoplastic surgery and former Chief of Clinic in Paris.

The temporal lipofilling technique, when performed by an experienced oculoplastic surgeon, gives results

that last on average 5 to 8 years, as the grafted fat integrates durably into the recipient tissues. This is a solution that increasingly appeals to patients who want a natural effect without resorting to implants or temporary fillers.

This is why I regularly recommend temple lipofilling in my Paris practice: this procedure is part of a comprehensive approach to eye and facial rejuvenation.

Temporal lipofilling does not only treat hollow temples; it also helps open up the eye area by reshaping the brow arch. And it combines perfectly with a blepharoplasty or a brow lift if needed.

In practice, we harvest fat from an area where it is abundant, usually the abdomen or the thighs. We then purify it before injecting it precisely into the temples, respecting each patient’s anatomy for a harmonious result.

It is important to understand that every face is unique: the amount of fat needed, the injection technique and the expected results vary according to your morphology and your expectations.

Temple lipofilling is particularly suitable for patients with temporal hollowness related to ageing or significant weight loss. A personalised consultation is essential to evaluate your case and guide you toward the solution best suited to your situation.

Temple Fat Grafting Results: What to Expect

She underwent temple fat grafting with an injection of 12 millilitres of fat per side.

The result at three months was harmonious: her temples were naturally full and the tired appearance had gone. She told me that she had not realised how much her hollow temples contributed to her worn-out look until they had been restored.

Immediate Results and Evolution

In the first days after the procedure, the temples appear swollen and sometimes slightly bruised. This oedema phase lasts about a week and masks the final result.

The true result of temple fat grafting is assessed from the third month onwards, once the grafted fat has become vascularised.

Studies show that the fat survival rate depends on the harvesting and injection technique, but also on patient habits such as smoking, which can impair graft take.

What You Can Reasonably Expect

A well-performed temple fat grafting durably restructures the upper third of the face. The definitive result settles between six months and one year.

At this stage, the temples retain their volume if the patient maintains a stable weight.

The eyes look less hollow and the lateral contour of the face regains a harmonious continuity with the cheekbones. A 38-year-old patient I treated for naturally hollow temples has had a stable result for more than three years, without any touch-up.

Limitations and Cases Where This Approach Is Not Suitable

It should be noted that this technique is not suitable if you have significant skin laxity of the temples, as the injected fat does not tighten the skin. In that case, a temporal lift would be more appropriate.

Temple fat grafting also does not treat deep crow’s feet, which require a complementary treatment such as botulinum toxin injections or a peel.

The price of temple fat grafting varies according to the amount of fat needed and the complexity of the case, but a personalised quotation is always given after consultation. If your temples are very hollow, a second session may be necessary to reach the desired volume, because it is better to inject gradually than to risk an overcorrection that is difficult to correct.

Day-by-day evolution

Temple fat grafting gives lasting results, but patients must understand that the survival of the grafted fat is a process that requires patience. During the first two weeks, swelling and bruising persist around the treated areas.

During the first week after temple fat grafting, I recommend relative rest and avoiding any intense physical activity. Bruising appears the day after the procedure and peaks around day 3 to day 4, before gradually subsiding.

Wearing a compressive dressing for 48 to 72 hours limits swelling and promotes graft integration. Most of my patients return to light professional activity between day 5 and day 7, depending on their occupation and their individual tolerance of the swelling.

From the second week onwards, the improvement becomes visible in daily life. The swelling decreases significantly, revealing the volume that has been restored.

The temples appear fuller, the gaze opens up, but the final result has not yet been achieved.

I ask my patients to massage the treated areas gently, twice a day for a further two weeks, with a moisturising cream, to soften the tissues and optimise the distribution of the fat. Any residual bruising can still be concealed with light make-up after day 10.

Between one and three months, the integration of the grafted fat is gradually completed. The body absorbs the cells that have not survived and the volume stabilises definitively.

It is at this point that I assess the result with the patient at a follow-up consultation. If the residual volume falls short of the goal we set together, we discuss a possible touch-up, which usually takes place after six months, allowing the tissues time to recover fully.

A question I am often asked in consultation is the difference between temporal fat grafting and temporal hyaluronic acid injections. Some colleagues prefer temporary fillers, because the procedure is quicker and the result immediate.

Furthermore, fat contains stem cells that improve the quality of the surrounding skin, an advantage synthetic fillers do not offer. The overall cost is therefore often lower in the long term, despite a higher initial investment.

This approach is not suitable if the patient has an active autoimmune disease or uncontrolled coagulation disorders.

It should also be known that temple fat grafting requires a donor site, that is to say an area from which the fat is harvested, usually the abdomen or the thighs.

This step leaves a minimal but real scar, although it is generally concealed, whose visibility depends on healing.

Very slim patients, with few fat reserves, may not be ideal candidates for this technique. In these cases I sometimes discuss alternatives such as temporal implants or resorbable fillers, explaining the advantages and the limitations of each option.

Factors Influencing the Outcome

The quality of the harvested fat is the primary determining factor for the success of temple fat grafting.

I systematically harvest fat from the abdomen or the thighs. These areas have a higher concentration of peripheral fat cells, which are more resistant and better vascularised after reinjection.

The literature shows that a liposuction aspirate containing less blood

and less anaesthetic product significantly improves the graft take rate, as these inflammatory elements can compromise adipocyte survival. In my experience with more than 300 facial fat grafts, I have found that a low-pressure harvesting technique preserves the integrity of the fat cells better than traumatic aspiration.

The patient’s age also has a marked influence on the results.

This difference is explained by the decreasing quality of cutaneous vascularisation and the decline in tissue regeneration capacity with age.

I do not, however, consider age an absolute contraindication, as temple fat grafting can still bring a significant improvement in older patients, provided expectations are realistic and the technique is adapted accordingly.

The patient’s lifestyle in the weeks following the procedure plays a crucial part in graft survival. Smoking is a major risk factor: nicotine causes vasoconstriction, which compromises the blood supply to the transferred adipocytes.

I systematically recommend complete smoking cessation for at least three weeks before and after the procedure.

Excessive heat exposure, saunas, and hot baths should also be avoided during the first month, as hyperthermia can worsen inflammation and disrupt graft take.

The injection technique directly influences the quality of the final result. I inject with very fine cannulas, depositing small amounts of fat in different tissue planes.

This layered approach allows optimal vascularisation of each micro-graft. Injections that are too deep or too superficial reduce survival rates: deep down, the fat is less well vascularised; too superficially, it can create visible irregularities.

Post-operative follow-up is an often underestimated but crucial element in the success of eyelid & oculoplastic surgery. Patients must avoid excessive facial movements and pressure on the treated area during the first few days.

I prescribe anti-oedema medication for one week and recommend lymphatic drainage sessions starting from day five to optimise recovery.

The final result can only be assessed after six months, the time required for the graft to stabilise definitively and for any residual oedema to disappear.